Pony Vignettes
by CanvasWolfDoll
Summary: In which Canvas looks at the other fanon ponies and says 'I wanna play with those'  And there's nothing stopping him. Sorry about this.
1. Carrot Top's Fort

**Carrot Top**

The first sense to wake up is the one operating from the nasal cavity. This why Carrot Top knew, before being truly awake, that fresh carrot muffins were coming out of the oven, and she smiled tiredly as her other senses raced to catch up with smell. As the paralysis of rest wore off, Carrot carefully removed herself from bed and walked to the boudoir, letting out a yawn.  
>She eyed the items on the piece of furniture. Not much she could do for herself, lacking the advantages of unicorns or even pegasi. Carrot didn't really mind though. She forwent the brush, and slid the bottle of green mane dye into the nearby waste bucket.<p>

She exited her room, and, entering the living room, saw a pillow fort had been erected with a unicorn filly happily snoozing within.

Derpy, plate and cream-cheese-frosted muffin balanced on head, hushed Carrot. "Sorry about the fort," the pegasus said, carefully sliding her cargo onto a coffee table, "Dinky really wanted to sleep in it last night."

"I completely understand," Carrot said, "I used to do that myself." Carrot eyed the muffin, "That for me?"

Derpy was donning her mail bag. "Sure is! Baked it fresh after I brought in the milk and paid the milk mare. Already got all mine stowed away in my bag!" Derpy grinned, "Would you mind getting her off to school today? I need to cover for Raindrops today."

"No problem." Carrot reassured Derpy.

Derpy sharply saluted, and went off to perform her morning delivery rounds, leaving her daughter in the care of her friend and roommate.

Carrot went into the kitchen, took a plate, and used a spoon to lever a muffin onto the plate. She took it to the sleeping form of Dinky and nudged her awake. "Good morning," Carrot whispered.

Dinky yawned and stretched. "Where's mom?" she asked, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes.

"She had to take an early day," Carrot Top said, placing the muffin before Dinky, "She left you a muffin, though!"

Dinky accepted the muffin, and the two ponies ate their breakfast. Carrot helped herself to a second muffin, and checked the clock, "We need to leave in five minutes," Carrot announced to the unicorn filly.

"Okay!" Dinky answered, bouncing off to retrieve her saddle bags.

Carrot checked the fridge, where Derpy had left her daughter a bag lunch, Dinky's name lovingly scrawled on it, flanked by hearts. Carrot presented the paper bag to Dinky, who stuffed it into her bag. "You need me to walk you to school?" Carrot asked.

"Nah, I can get there myself," Dinky answered.

"You sure?"

Dinky opened the door. "I'm sure. See you later, Carrot!" The door slammed shut after the unicorn filly, leaving Carrot by her lonesome.

Carrot ate her second muffin, smiling to herself. The cushion fort remained, standing resolute against imaginary foes. Dinky had left behind dolls laying about the structure.

Carrot checked around her.

* * *

><p>Fort Root stood proudly upon a hill, looking over the land of Carrotopia. Lady Top was in a meeting with the nobles of the land.<p>

"My dear court," Lady Top said to them, "I have just got word that our neighbor, the Principality of Derp, intends to declare war upon our innocent realm."

A gasp erupted from Lady Top's court, desperate whispering sprouting all about.

"M'lady!" The Brigadier General said, "I suggest a preemptive strike."

Lady Top sullenly shook her head, "No, I refuse to take such drastic action. We must remain, above all, diplomatic. If we strike first, we will go down in history as..." Carrot Top searched for the word, settling on, "Trouble makers! We cannot have that!"

Mumbles of agreement were shared by the court.

"My dear subjects." Lady Top waved her hooves reassuringly, "We may soon find ourselves in difficult..." She caught sight of the time from the corner of her eye, and the spell melted away. "Oh dear, I've got errands to run." She nodded to the dolls arranged in a semi-circle, "Excuse me."

It was a slow day in the market place, so Carrot Top allowed herself to linger at the various booths and wagons littering the square. She was examining produce when she was approached by Bon Bon. "Hey there, Carrot Top!" Bon Bon greeted.

"Good morning, BonBon," Carrot greeted with a wave, "How've you been doing?"

"Been doing well," Bon Bon answered, "So… interesting weather we've been having."

Carrot eyed the cream-colored pony, "Certainly we haven't already run out of things to discuss."

BonBon pointed at the sky, "Well, considering we've got pink clouds today, and I've heard they've been raining chocolate milk…"

"Really now?" Carrot was surprised by this news, "Anypony know why?"

Bon Bon shrugged, "It's all speculation at this point. Personally, I think Pinkie Pie got her hooves on some sort of magic, wish granting device."

Carrot Top nodded, "Seems possible." Carrot paid for a basket of assorted vegetables. "Well," she said, "keep me up to date if you hear anything."

"Will do," Bon Bon said, "See you later!"

Carrot Top moved on to Apple family's wagon and purchased a dozen of the crisp fruit. Above, the clouds were being corralled by the town weather team, led by Rainbow Dash. She decided to cut her errands run short in the face of the team's struggle to maintain clear skies.

Carrot Top returned home and put away the groceries, taking the time to check through the mail left by Derpy, and found nothing needing her immediate attention. She sat for a spell, letting her mind wander. She sighed a sigh of boredom and loneliness. She gave the pillow and cushion fort a glance.

"Fillies and gentlecolts of the court, I'm afraid there may be a spy among you, my most loyal subjects." Lady Top waited for the horrified rumblings of the court to die down, "Now, I do not wish to cause a panic, nor a witch hunt. However, we must remain vigilant. If anypony sees any suspicious behaviors, please report it directly to me."

Carrot Top paused for a moment. She wasn't really sure how to follow this up, or how the spy would get flushed out. She stared at the cushiony wall of the tiny building. She decided to just pull a _deus ex machnia_.

"My Lady!" The Brigadier General rushed in, paper in hand, "We have just intercepted a coded message, and it reveals the spy as…" The military pony doll paused for drama, "None other than Baroness Fluffymane!"

Dramatic gasp from the court.

"Yes, I admit it! I, Baroness Fluffymane, am the spy!" the baroness declared for all to hear, "I regret nothing! Mwahahaha!"

"Baroness Fluffymane, I hereby order your execution by sock missile!" Lady Top decreed with great foreboding, "Take your position at the wall of execution!"

The diabolic baroness was placed before the overturned coffee table, and Carrot Top took time to bunch up socks and arrange the military dolls to execute the traitor. "On my command!" Lady Top said, "Ready, aim…"

"Um… Carrot Top? What're you doing?"

Carrot froze, and turned around slowly towards the confused pegasus standing behind the overturned table. She looked at the scene that lay before her, "Well…" It all seemed rather silly to the earth pony, now that she took the time to reflect, "I was kind of… punishing a traitor…" Carrot Top said reluctantly, "She was a spy reporting our secret meetings to the Principality of… Derp…"

The mailmare just stared at her roommate, who began to blush in the awkward moment. "Well then, as the ruler of the Principality of Derp…" the grey pegasus said, picking up a bundled up sock, "I cannot allow such a valuable resource be killed." Derpy tossed the sock at Carrot Top's face.

"You do realize…" Carrot said after take a second to let the assault sink in, "This means war…"

So, Carrotopia and the Principality of Derp raged war, flinging socks at each other, Carrot from Fort Root, and Derpy from the mighty Derp Wall. It was all rather silly.


	2. Lyra's Errands

**Lyra**

Lyra was sad, pouting as she polished her lyre. Three strings were broken and twirled in that heart breaking pattern universal to string instruments with a major obstacle to playing. She'd have to replace them, as soon as she could manage.

"Mail's here!" Bon Bon announced as she entered the house, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "As is this month's Symphony Strings Magazine," she added.

"Did it come with lyre strings?" Lira asked disheartened, showcasing her instrument.

"No, but there is an interview with Octavia," Bon Bon answered. "Apparently the secret to her success is loyal friends and good quality tools," she added, flipping through the interview.

Lyra sighed, "I guess I'll just have to go buy new strings. I needed to pick up a new metronome anyways."

"What happened to the old metronome?" Bon Bon asked.

"Loaned it to Derpy Hooves," Lyra answered with an indifferent shrug, "She did offer to buy me a replacement, but it was wearing out anyways." Lyra placed her lyre down. "You need anything while I'm out?" she asked as she got up.

Bon Bon cast a nervous look at the closed curtains, "You sure? It's pretty... messy outside today..."

"I've nothing better to do today," Lyra said, opening the door.

"Seriously," Bon Bon said, "It may be a good day to stay in"

Lyra looked downward.

"We could play checkers," Bon Bon suggested.

Lyra looked upward.

"Right," she said, "Where do we keep the ladder, again?" Bon Bon pointed, and Lyra retrieved it. Her biggest worry about leaving was that the sky and ground had seemed to have traded jobs for the day. Lyra cautiously set the ladder upwards on the ground and felt gravity take ahold of it, so she carefully leaned it onto the top of the door frame. She paused for a moment to consider her next move, then jumped and clung to the first rung, then pulled herself onto the ladder, and finally began to cautiously climb upwards. Gravity didn't interfere with her until her hoof first tapped the ground, at which point it took its proper hold. Lyra righted herself and waved to Bon Bon, who gave an inversed wave back as she closed the door.

It took Lyra a while to grow accustomed to the new soap roads, but, upon applying skating logic, soon mastered them, sliding off to the town clockmaker, deftly avoiding the various hazards on her way. She dodged pies, stopped for buffalo and long-legged rabbits, and stole a few gulps of chocolate rain. She finally reached the shop she was journeying towards, one of the few buildings remaining grounded. Lyra could make out muffled cries of irritation as she reached it, and was greeted by a note carefully pinned to the blue door:

"Due to melting clocks, we're closed. It's pretty irritating.

Come back when time has meaning again. Thank you.

-Sepia Tock

PS: I'll gladly accept any spare buckets you may have."

Lyra's shoulders drooped, "I'll just have to try again later."

She jumped when a clock splashed against the window, and then slid off hurriedly, keeping an eye out for surprises.

The music store, too, was having problems. "Berry Punch, what happened here?" she asked, looking at the buildings that had fallen over like cheap stage dressing.

"I don't know! One moment a giant pepper shaker is making me sneeze, the next everything's fallen over!"

Had there not been such overwhelming evidence for the tale, Lyra would've inquired as to what Berry's current level of inebriation was. "Well, do you think the music shop is still open?" Lyra asked, staring longingly at the door, "Because, I really need some new strings..."

"How can you be worrying about that?" Berry asked outraged, "Look at what's going on! Things are definitely are not what they seem! Think of what effect this could have on the children."

_A few hours of innocent fun?_ Lyra thought to herself, but said instead, with a reassuring hoof on Berry's shoulder, "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure Twilight and the others will have it sorted out in no time."

Berry shook her head, "They better! I can't let Ruby live among such madness."

"Hey, Berry," Lyra looked Berry Bunch in the eye, "Calm down, go have a drink, it'll be fine." Berry Punch opened her mouth to continue, but Lyra her turned away, "It'll be all right."

The two ponies trotted off in their separate ways.

Lyra paused for a couple minutes (or was it days?) to sit on a bench and watch the sun and moon rapidly trade dominance of the sky. She wondered if she should've brought a watch along to compare length and test for method in the madness. "I may need to just go to Hoofington for my strings," she mused, watching a cloud race across the sky, chased by a balloon that seemed rather insistent on capturing the speeding cumulous. "That means I'd have to go through the Everfree Forest though…" Lyra answered her previous vocalized thought. She returned to watching the sky. The balloon seems to have gotten ropes involved now. "Maybe I could just worry about my music on a later day." She watched as the balloon finally began to reel in its catch, and stood up. "Well, might as well get myself a treat before heading home." She trotted out of the park.

The apples at market were, she assumed, some form of new breed, coming in various new colors, such as blue and cool plaid. A small tin was left nearby for purchasers to leave payment for the fruit, so Lyra decided to be adventurous and purchase a blue and green striped apple. She glanced around the market place. It seemed rather empty, unusual for lunchtime. Some drama seemed to going on over by a throne. Lyra stood for a moment to see if she could make out what was happening when a brown cylinder flew in her general direction, and exploded upon impacting the ground a few trots from the mint-hued unicorn. Lyra, after recovering from the shock, began to gallop off home.

The curious reality shifts seemed to have largely vanished by the time Lyra got home, and her house was no longer a gravitational anomaly. "Bon Bon! I'm home!"

"Hey, Lyra!" Bon Bon greeted, "You get what you looking for?"

"Nah," Lyra said, "All the stores were closed. Got this sweet striped apple, though!" She presented the fruit.

"Looks good," Bon Bon said.

"Want to split it?" Lyra suggested.

"Sure."


	3. Colgate's Job

**Colgate**

He had left Colgate in charge of the clock shop for the weekend while he was down in Manehatten attending a concert. It was her first time going solo managing the business of timepieces. Her boss had insisted she stay in his apartment upstairs during the time so she could better do the morning alarm check.

Being woken up by the sound of two hundred and thirty eight alarms isn't a pleasant experience. Colgate jolted awake, and, obeying her fight or flight instincts, sped downstairs. She levitated the pencil and clipboard and made short work of turning off the alarms and certifying their functionality. She let out a sigh of relief after completing the task, and went back upstairs to the vanity where she was keeping her brushes. She brushed her mane first, restoring it from the awful mess it started as. She then brushed her teeth, a feature she'd silently obsessed over her entire life. Finishing her morning rituals, she went back down into the main shop and to the main window, took a deep breath, and flipped the sign to 'Open', and then took her position behind the sales counter. She waited.

After forty-three minutes (accurately told by every clock in the building) she went ahead and stole an apple from the kitchen.

Ten minutes later she was left with the core. Colgate left the core on the sales counter, and then laid her head beside it, staring at the blue door. It certainly was an interesting design, being approximately the size of a single door, but functioning as two. Oh well, it had made her boss squirm a little when they got it, so she appreciated it.

By about noon, Colgate had taken up amusing herself with the wind-up toys from the low standing table, where they could be accessed by colts and fillies. The silver bell announced the entrance of a customer. "Welcome!" Colgate said excitedly, "What can I help you with today?"

Vinyl Scratch waved at the blue unicorn. "Hey there, Colgate! Mind if I record the shop?" the DJ asked, producing a tape recorder.

"May I ask why?" Colgate asked.

Scratch smiled gleefully. "I'm making a concept album! It's called 'The Sounds of Ponyville'!" Scratch said, her voiced mixed with pride and excitement, "I've been going around town recording random sounds, and I'm going mix them into sweet beats!" Vinyl Scratch began to set up the recorder, "Anyways, I thought the sound of the clock shop would make a great way to keep a tempo."

Colgate listened to the shop for a few ticks. After all the time she'd worked in the clock shop, her subconscious had learned to filter the sounds of the timepieces out. Her focus being suddenly brought to them, she couldn't stop hearing them. "Go ahead," she answered the DJ, "I'll just be in the workshop. Bellow if you need anything."

"Will do!" Vinyl said with a salute.

Colgate went into the basement. She considered her options. She swiftly ruled out manufacturing hourglasses. Even with the behemoth of a machine designed to ease the process, it still took a surprising amount of energy. Should she ever open her own clock shop, hourglasses would most likely end up being produced only upon request, if at all.

She went to the workbench, which was currently empty, all previous projects having been swiftly finished off the night before the boss left. Colgate examined the supplies, considering what model to build. After comparing the pieces, she had begun slotting together a simple pocket watch, choosing a cheap iron casing to house it. Colgate, aided by magic, could easily build three clocks at once, provided they were identical. However, since demand was never high for clocks in such a small town, Colgate preferred to do them one at a time, making each piece unique and special. Plus, she could charge extra by calling them 'One-of-a-kind', which is important when most costumers come in for minor repair work on their current model of clock.

A loud, glassy crash rang from the store above. Colgate galloped up the stairs. "Vinyl, is everything alright?" she asked worriedly.

Soarin stood up and shook himself off. "Sorry," he said, "I'll pay to have the window replaced."

Vinyl smiled to herself, "That was great! I've always wanted a sample of glass breaking!" She looked at the face of the panicked Colgate, "This is going to be my best album yet!" Vinyl Scratch then trotted off to her next location.

"I need a metronome, right now," Soarin said hurriedly.

"Why did you come all the way out here for a metronome?" Colgate asked, "Surely there's somewhere in…" She quietly realized that, despite his past visits, she had no clue where Soarin lived, "your town…" she filled the blank with, "somewhere there that sells metronome."

"Well, I accidentally kicked this table, and Beahoovan got out of his home, and then was a lot of shuffling…" Soarin stopped for a second. "Anyways, I need a metronome," he said in summary.

"Well then, that shouldn't be a problem," Colgate said, "You know my boss, constantly trying to outdo himself. I think we have two or three of his efforts laying around somewhere." Colgate began to trot into the basement.

"Hurry!" Soarin said desperately.

Colgate picked up her speed slightly, and found the shelf holding the metronomes. Grabbing the second most recently built, she jotted a note explaining the absence and ran upstairs. "Here's you metronome!" Colgate proudly presented the tempo-keeper.

"Thanks." Soarin slammed down some bits, grabbed the metronome, and rushed off.

Colgate looked at the small pile of coins, "Huh. A twenty bit metronome, I guess." She put the money into the cash register, and then examined the path of destruction left by the pegasus. She sighed to herself and retrieved a dustpan and broom, sweeping up the glass fragments and discarding them.

Colgate spent a minute waiting for further chaos. A green earth pony stopped at the shattered window, peering in. She checked the store sign, then the door. "Excuse me, is the Doctor okay?" she asked.

Colgate decided to hold her tongue.

"I mean, evidence seems to point to a struggle." The green pony got excited, "Is he on an adventure?"

"Sure," Colgate said, "A giant half-rabbit, half-tree monstrosity burst in, had a brief tussle with Doctor Whoof, who then chased to beast into the Everfree Forest."

"I knew it," the green earth pony held her hoof in a pose of triumph.

"Could I interest you in a clock?" Colgate changed the topic.

The green earth pony glanced around the store from her position outside the shattered window. "No thanks. Have a nice day."

"You too," Colgate waved her off.

Colgate moved her watch and tools upstairs and finished building the watch while keeping an eye on the window. After she put the finishing touches on the timepiece, and carved her signature discreetly on the back, she grabbed a tarp and taped it over the shattered window. Colgate spent the rest of the day building clocks and watches, capping it off by throwing some of the scraps together into windup toys, closed the store at eight, and went to bed.

The following day was less exciting.


	4. Octavia's Metronome

Octavia

The bow glided across the strings of her instrument, the even beats of the metronome keeping the tempo, the soft music filling the room, and flowing serenely out the open window, dispersing into the night air. Octavia played the gentle serenade, eyes closed, memorized notes sliding from her head to her hooves, and the cello sung. She played the final frames, and took her bow to the mostly empty room, answered by a solitary cricket chirping contently to itself. "Oh, what do you know?" Octavia said, "I hardly call what you do music, Beahoovan."

The cricket merely chirped.

Octavia smiled to herself as she returned her prized cello back into its case, then stopped the metronome, replaced the cover with an ornate 'S. Tock' carved in the corner. It was a very well built tempo maintainer.

Octavia collapsed on the couch. She had performed many concerts, played just as many music halls and orchestra pits, but still, before every one she worried about how the audience would respond, that she would make a terrible slip during the performance, that she would be forced to exit the stage followed only by silence. Tonight, with another performance scheduled for the following night, Octavia had the usual spell of stress, and she drifted into fitful sleep.

* * *

><p>Octavia stood before her audience, their forms mere silhouettes beyond the bright stage lights bearing down upon her eyes. The house waited patiently. Octavia raised her bow and positioned it. She slid it, and an ear splitting screeched wailed. Octavia winced, and tried again, eliciting a sharper scream. Somepony cleared their throat. Octavia started again, and made it through a bar before a string snapped, followed by its brothers. Tears welled in Octavia's eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."<p>

The audience remained silent. No pony spoke. There was no booing. Just cold, uncaring silence. Octavia ran from the stage, biting back tears.

* * *

><p>A loud thunderclap ripped her from sleep. "Morning wakeup call!" Soarin announced happily through her open window.<p>

"You ever considered subtlety?" Octavia groaned as she stood up.

"If you don't like my methods, get an alarm clock," Soarin said from his position outside her window.

"What? And deprive myself of seeing your mug every morning?" Octavia said with a cocked eyebrow, "Good idea." She went to the aquarium housing her cricket. "You frightened Beahoovan!" she moaned.

Soarin rubbed his head awkwardly, "Sorry about that, Octavia."

Octavia placed a small amount of food into her pet's home, "It's not me you should be apologizing to!"

Soarin rolled his eyes. "I'm so very sorry, Octavia's bug."

"I meant my neighbors," Octavia clarified.

"Oh play a few notes on your oversized violin and they'll be right back in dreamland," Soarin said, waving a hoof at the cello case.

"It's so nice to have such a cultured friend such as yourself," Octavia replied, heading towards her kitchen, "Can I offer you an apple?"

Soarin entered the apartment, trotting after the cello player. "Yes please," he said, taking an apple from the fruit bowl, chomping it down quickly, "Anyways, it's not my fault I can't appreciate your music. It's just so slow and dull."

"I can't understand the appeal of the Wonderbolts," Octavia retorted between measured bites of her red fruit, "Just a bunch of pegasi showing off and going obscenely fast."

"It's more than that, Octavia," Soarin said, rolling his eyes, "It takes years of practice just to get close to the things we do in the air."

"Give me a pair of wings and a week to get used to them," Octavia challenged.

Soarin shook his head. "Really? You think you'd be able to do _this_?" He shot off backwards towards the open window. Unfortunately, midflight, he failed to account for one of his hind legs and kicked Octavia's end table, sending it crashing into the wall, leaving a dent punctuated by a glassy crash.

"Soarin! Idiot!" Octavia yelled after him as she galloped towards the destruction to assess. The aquarium was in shatters.

Soarin skidded to a stop outside and reentered. "I'm so sorry, Octavia!" he said, glancing around wildly, then shot after a brown dot in the corner of his eye, "It's okay! I found Beahoovan!"

Octavia gingerly swept up the mess, then let out a stifled yelp. "Oh no, oh no, oh no… not today…"

"What?" Soarin said, genuinely concerned, "Did you cut yourself?"

"My metronome! You busted my metronome!" Octavia was furious.

Soarin carefully put the cricket into a glass before turning to address the problem. "I'm so sorry," he said, trying to calm Hurricane Octavia, "Did you really need it? I mean, surely you'll be fine until you can get it fixed?"

"You…" Octavia took a deep breath, "I have a ritual, okay? Before every performance, I sit backstage, by myself, listening to the metronome for ten minutes. It gives me the tempo!" She began to panic, "How am I going perform? It's going to be terrible! I'll be hideously out of time."

"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it, promise," soarin said as he bolted back out the window, and jetted towards the horizon.

Octavia carefully placed the pieces into a box, made sure to give her cricket food in his temporary home, and went off to solve the crisis herself.

* * *

><p>Octavia went to her usual music supply store, but they were out of tempo-keepers, and oblivious as how to repair hers. Two other music stores were similar stories, and a third had grossly inept construction in their models. Octavia racked her brain, "Okay, think, Tavi," she said, "Where else could I…" the solution slammed into her consciousness. "The clock shop!" she said, and galloped to Rani's Time Emporium.<p>

* * *

><p>It was a short journey, made shorter by Octavia's haste to achieve her goal. She had only been to the shop once before, to get a time piece for her apartment, but it was hard to miss the large sign on the store. She bucked the door open dramatically. This didn't seem to draw any attention.<p>

"You've got to let me look at the construction of this!"

Rani wasn't looking pleased at the sole other costumer when Octavia stepped inside. "Let you just tear my clock apart? I don't think so, sir."

Octavia galloped to the counter where the two were arguing.

"Fine, how much to purchase it?" The angry customer said.

"I'm going to exercise my right to refuse service," Rani said, "Trade secrets and such."

"Excuse me," the exasperated Octavia said, slamming her box down, "Miss, I was wondering if you could fix my metronome."

Rani gave the box a short, appraising look, "I'm afraid I'm a clockmaker. Not sure where to start with a metronome."

"I might be able to help," the brown-hued stallion next to her suggested. He was ignored.

"Could you at least have a look at it?" Octavia asked the Manehatten clockmaker, "I've got a concert tonight, and I need my metronome."

"Just need a new spring, some wood glue, and tools," mused the spiky-haired customer, "Been looking forward to your concert, by the way."

Rani shook her head sadly, "Sorry, afraid I can't manage it in that time frame."

Octavia collected her box mournfully, "Well, thanks anyways." She sulked out in the fading sunlight.

"I hope the concert doesn't get cancelled," the clock-connoisseur said, and then turned his attention back to his own goals. "I must know how one makes these numbered panels work," he said to Rani, "I could do marvelous things with it!"

"I told you already, go away."

After glancing around briefly, the desperate pony leaned in to whisper, "What if I said I was Doctor Whoof?"

"I'd call you a loony and call the authorities," Rani shut him down.

Sepia Tock gave up and left, mind working on the puzzle he was forcibly left with.

* * *

><p>Octavia was in her dressing room, her bow tie in disarray. "What am I going to do, what am I going to do…" A nervous knock echoed on her door. "Come in," Octavia said, staring at her own image in the mirror.<p>

Soarin carefully opened the door, paper bag hanging from his mouth. He waved nervously.

"Oh, it's _you_," Octavia hissed.

Soarin placed his package down on the counter, "I'm so, so sorry, Octavia. I'll never do it again, I promise."

Octavia sighed, and decided to take the mature route: swallow the anger, and let it fester for a future fallout. "I forgive you. Accidents happen." She placed her head back in her hooves, "But what am I going to do about tonight? It'll be a disaster!"

A ticking began to emanate from the direction Soarin was standing. A new metronome stood beside the bag imprinted with a store logo. "Say what you will about my job, but it trained me to get to places _fast_," Soarin smirked cockily.

Octavia gave the pegasus a hug and said, "Thank you, so much you cloud-brain." She began to push him out, "Now go away, I have a tempo to pick up."

"See you after the concert, then. Be ready to talk about clocks," Soarin said as he was promptly removed.

Octavia, now alone, sat beside her metronome, corrected her bow, and closed her eyes, listening intently to the beat.

Some called it her best concert yet. Critics raved, a reporter from Symphony Strings Magazine begged for an interview, and Soarin took her and a friend of his out for drinks.

Octavia just smiled to herself. It was a good concert, sure, but then next one will be even better.


End file.
